Current Stage Shows

Comedy of Errors: This uneven take on Shakespeare's early comedy is an odd mingling of the hapless and the intriguing. The old tale of mistaken identity among not one but two sets of identical twins is given a film noir look from the Forties, a choice that has visual appeal but little point. Some scenes and performances are woefully inadequate (much of the funny stuff isn't), while others, particularly the women's scenes, illuminate the text. -- Ronald Mangravite Through May 1. Hollywood Boulevard Theatre at the Hollywood Playhouse, 2640 Washington St., Hollywood; 954-922-0404.

Shaun Marie Levin and Matthew Chapman in Comedy of Errors

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More About

• Ronald Mangravite
• Hollywood
• William Shakespeare
• Pamela Gien
• Joseph Adler

The Syringa Tree: Pamela Gien's semiautobiographical one-woman show centers on a precocious white girl and her world-weary black nanny in apartheid-era South Africa. Joseph Adler's colorful, evocative production features the talented Claire Tyler playing dozens of characters in an intense, well-researched performance. There are drawbacks, though. Many unexplained references in the text and the thick accents make some of this hard going. Nevertheless several sequences are riveting. -- Ronald Mangravite Through May 1. GableStage at the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-445-1119.